Noodle Salad with Tahini Dressing is a quick, easy entree salad that features lots of veggies, protein-rich edamame, and a savory tahini dressing.
When the weather heats up, the last thing I want to be doing is standing around a hot stove while I wait for dinner to cook. This is the time of year I like to rely on entree salads.
Entree salads are those big salads that contain a variety of foods (think grains or something starchy, meats or other protein-rich foods, and a variety of vegetables and/or fruits). They have all of the nutrients you would need in a meal, and fill you up without needing to serve anything extra.
This Noodle Salad with Tahini Dressing is one of those entree salads that can stand on its own at dinnertime. It's loaded with noodles (I used ramen), edamame for protein, and loads of vegetables. Plus, it's got a flavor-filled umami-bomb tahini dressing.
How to Make Noodle Salad with Tahini Dressing
This salad is very quick and easy to make. The cooking time required is minimal (only a few minutes are required to boil the noodles and edamame). Most of your time will be spent prepping the vegetables, but this can be accomplished more quickly with a mandoline.
Start by making the dressing. If you plan to whisk it, mix it in a medium bowl. If you will use an immersion blender (or a small regular blender), you can use a large measuring cup or the blending canister that comes with the blender. Simply add all of the required ingredients and blend or whisk until smooth. Set aside.
Now, get some water boiling to cook both the noodles and the edamame. You can either scoop the noodles or edamame out with a slotted spoon and reuse the water to cook the noodles, or you can simply pour the pot through a strainer and boil a second small pot. Rinse both the noodles and the edamame with cold water after boiling.
Toss the noodles with about ½ cup of the dressing in a large bowl. Set aside while you prep the remaining vegetables:
- Peel the carrots and julienne or cut into matchsticks.
- Julienne the cucumber or cut into matchsticks.
- Thinly slice the celery on the bias.
- Thinly slice the cabbage.
Add the vegetables and edamame to the bowl with the noodles and toss to coat. Add additional dressing: anywhere from half of what's remaining for a lightly dressed salad to all of it for a saucy salad.
Divide the salad into bowls and sprinkle with minced cilantro, sliced green onions, or minced chives if desired. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Noodle Salad with Tahini Dressing Ingredients
- Water - use whatever water you normally drink. Cold tap water is fine.
- Tahini - tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds. You can find it in the International or Middle Eastern foods aisle of most well-stocked grocery stores. It is typically available in glass jars or plastic tubs, but might also be found in squeeze bottles. Make sure it is well stirred before adding it to your recipes, as the oil will separate out over time.
- Canola oil or other neutral-flavored cooking oil
- Rice vinegar - Rice vinegar is a mild vinegar that is made by fermenting rice into alcohol, then into vinegar. You can find it either in the vinegar aisle or in the International aisle of any grocery store. If you don't have it, substitute apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
- Grated ginger - Pro-tip: always keep some ginger in the freezer. You can store it whole in an airtight container or freezer bag, and grate it directly from frozen using a microplane.
- Miso paste - miso paste is a salty and umami paste made from fermented soybeans. Common in Japanese cooking, it can be found in the International aisle of well-stocked grocery stores or in Asian food markets, in the refrigerator. It is typically available in different colors - red, white, and yellow, and the flavors of each vary. Any will work for this recipe.
- Garlic
- Granulated sugar or honey
- Kosher salt - or use MSG-salt to enhance the savory flavors in this salad.
- Chili garlic sauce - this is a thick hot sauce that's available in most well-stocked grocery stores. If you don't have any, you can substitute sambal oelek or sriracha.
- Dried ramen - cook the noodles according to the directions on the package, discarding the seasoning packets. Alternatively, use some other quick-cooking noodles. To make this salad gluten-free, use rice noodles or other gluten-free noodles.
- Napa cabbage - or you can use regular green cabbage.
- Shelled edamame - Edamame is available in the frozen foods section. Find it with other frozen vegetables. It is typically available both in the shells and shelled. For convenience, choose shelled edamame. If it's only available in the shells, you'll have to shell the beans before adding them to the salad, as the shells are not edible.
- English cucumber
- Carrots
- Celery
- Green onion, cilantro or chives - this is optional, for sprinkling on top of the salad when it's done for extra flavor.
Want more entrée salad recipes?
Noodle Salad with Tahini Dressing Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for ¼ of the recipe. If your portion is larger (or smaller) than this, the nutrition information will vary accordingly.
The nutrition information assumes that you use all of the dressing. If you don't, the calories, fat, and sodium in your salad will be lower.
This recipe is dairy-free and vegan as written. To make the salad gluten-free, replace the ramen with rice noodles or another quick-cooking gluten-free noodle.
Noodle Salad with Tahini Dressing
Equipment
- Immersion blender optional
- Microplane for grating ginger
- Mandoline optional
Ingredients
Sesame Dressing
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup tahini
- ¼ cup canola oil or other neutral-flavored cooking oil
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons grated ginger
- 2 Tablespoons miso paste
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar or honey
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or MSG-salt
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce or sambal oelek
Noodle Salad
- 8 ounces dried ramen or other noodles see note
- 2 cups lightly packed shredded napa cabbage
- 2 cups shelled edamame
- ½ English cucumber juliened, or cut into ribbons or matchsticks
- 2 medium carrots Juliened, or cut into ribbons or matchsticks
- 2 medium celery stalks thinly sliced on the bias
- 1 thinly sliced green onion or 2 Tablespoons minced cilantro or chives (optional)
Instructions
Sesame Dressing
- Use an immersion blender to blend together (or whisk) ¼ cup (60 ml) water, ¼ cup (60 ml) tahini, ¼ cup (60 ml) canola oil, 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) rice vinegar, 2 Tablespoons (14 g) grated ginger, 2 Tablespoons (34 g) miso paste, 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon (3 g) kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon (5 ml) chili garlic sauce in a small bowl or 2-cup measuring cup. Set aside.
Noodle Salad
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add 2 cups (400 g) shelled edamame and cook for 2-3 minutes. Scoop the edamame out with a slotted spoon or drain in a small colander and rinse with cold water until the edamame is cool. Set aside.
- Bring more water to a boil (or re-use the edamame water) and add 8 ounces (220 g) dried ramen or other noodles. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the noodles are softened and separated. Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water until cool
- Add the drained noodles to a large bowl. Add about ½ cup of the sesame dressing and toss the noodles to coat. Add 2 cups lightly packed shredded napa cabbage, the drained edamame, the juliened cucumber, the juliened carrots, and the sliced celery. Toss to coat, and assess how much more dressing you want to add. Add about half of what is left for lightly dressed salad, or up to all of it for very saucy salad. Sprinkle with sliced green onions, or minced cilantro or chives, if desired.
Make-Ahead Instructions
- Note that the dressing can be made up to 2 days in advance, and in fact this helps to improve its flavor. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
- You can also make the salad up to one day ahead of time (complete the entire recipe) and store the salad in a covered bowl or an airtight container in the fridge. In this case, I recommend not adding all of the dressing - reserve some and add it if needed just before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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